A visit to Scotland while attending grad school
You have the title of Grassroots Organizer. What exactly does that mean?
Grassroots organizing is when people unite and work from the bottom-up to initiate change in their communities. This type of organizing is all about making your voice heard and using that as a tool to influence policy. As ARRM's Grassroots Organizer, I mobilize our membership to take part in this change. I send emails, make phone calls, and post on social media, with the purposes of promoting disability services and stressing the importance of services. These actions draw attention from ARRM members, legislators, and the broad disability services community. This work is the basis for grassroots advocacy.
What are some of your tips for organizations and leaders who are working to grow advocacy engagement in their organizations?
Whether you're encouraging staff participation or lobbying at the Capitol, advocacy is reliant on persistence. Here are two major tips for upping advocacy in your organization:
- Plan or attend town hall events in your organization's district. Staff are familiar with local libraries or community centers. A convenient location means more turnout. Town Halls offer great opportunities for your staff to tell their story and make their voice heard. You can even utilize the Telling Your Story tools on the ARRM website.
- Use social media! Nowadays, everyone is glued to a phone. If you don't already have social accounts, create a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for your organization. You can reach more people and spread your message faster.
What was one of your most meaningful advocacy experiences?
As an undergraduate, I worked with my campus' MPIRG (Minnesota Public Interest Research Group) chapter. I headed up our Social Justice Taskforce, which aimed to address social/cultural issues on campus. Along with my fellow Taskforce members, we organized an interfaith panel. Our goal was to learn more about religion, discuss similarities, and promote acceptance and inclusion. We talked to clubs and individual students, encouraging their participation. We ended up having ten panelists, over twenty submitted questions, and great turnout for a small institution.
What is the new Grassroots Advocacy Network?
ARRM's Grassroots Advocacy Network is a collective of ARRM members who want to engage more in advocacy efforts throughout the year. Each group member is a "Grassroots Captain" and is responsible for tracking events in assigned districts. This year, we plan to focus majorly on the census and election. How can we encourage staff to participate in the census? How can we best get out the vote in our communities? We want to address these questions and create solutions to help staff engage in the legislative process.
2020 will be an important political year. How will ARRM be focusing its efforts to engage politicians in our issues?
With both the census and election, 2020 is set to be a crucial year and ARRM is already working on plans. Every decade, the United States has a census which counts all residents. The data collected is confidential but helps with redistricting, the building of new institutions, and much more. Participating in the census is your civic duty, just like voting! Speaking of voting...2020 is a presidential election year and all 201 seats in the Minnesota Legislature will be up for reelection. We want to engage elected officials and discuss our issues while learning about the census and voting rights.
We are also looking at town halls, site visits, and other legislator meetings. There are plenty of ways to get involved. Site visits are some of the most useful tools. Legislators are able to get a feel for the environment and see firsthand what happens on a day-to-day basis. We organized 60+ visits in 2019 and we plan to continue this trend in 2020. Additionally, ARRM always has representation at the Capitol during session. You can always find our Director of State and Federal Policy, Sara Grafstrom, in committee meetings and legislators' offices.
You were new to the disability services field when you started at ARRM. What's something you've learned or experienced that was a surprise to you?
My background is in political theory and conflict resolution so when I started at ARRM I was definitely new to the field. Throughout my high school, college, and graduate school careers, I worked on political campaigns. I wrote emails, made phone calls, and door-knocked, asking for support and donations. It isn't easy to get people to support your candidate or cause. So when I took on this role, I was surprised at how willing members were to get out in the field and participate in advocacy efforts. It's become clear to me that those who work in this field know the value of making connections with elected officials and the importance of telling their stories. So keep on advocating and don't worry, I will still send you dozens of emails :)
What work experience are you most thankful for over the past year?
I really enjoyed Leadership Conference. This annual event is a great opportunity to learn the value of leadership, make connections with peers, and have some fun! The Conference was a real bonding experience and I was able to learn a lot more about my colleagues. It was a fun few days and I can't wait until Leadership Conference 2020!
What dish at your family's Thanksgiving table do you associate with and why?
Our family in Minnesota is really small so unless we travel for Thanksgiving, we eat Chinese food. So taking that into consideration, I'm going to go with cold sesame peanut noodles. Sometimes I'm laid back and other times I'm more feisty.
Contact Madeleine: [email protected]
Staff Snapshots
Sue Schettle, CEO
What are some big things you've been working on? What's coming up?
We just wrapped up the 2020 budget preparation. We have finished up the work of the Visioning Committee who have set forward a path for ARRM as we look to the future of services in the disability sector. Even though the process was a bit like making sausage, it's super important to have had the chance to get ARRM members together to gather input and set the foundation. Lastly, for the past month, I've been consumed with the Blue Ribbon Commission on HHS work. It's a huge time commitment but I'm glad to be a part of it.
What work experience are you most thankful for over the past year?
I'm thankful for the ARRM staff. It is really nice for me to reflect on where we have come as a staff and see where we are going. We have a lot of talented folks at the ARRM office and I'm thankful for all they do for me and the ARRM membership.
What dish at your family's Thanksgiving table do you associate with and why?
This is a hard one to answer. I'm going to say that I am less of the entree and more of a side-dish like a dinner roll. It's important that I'm available because I bring everything together.
Contact Sue: [email protected]
Sara Grafstrom, Director of State and Federal Policy
What are some big things you've been working on? What's coming up?
We are in full swing when it comes to legislative session prep! I am in the process of putting the first drafts together of our completed 2020 Legislative Agenda document as well as the accompanying one pagers that go into more detail on each of our policy priorities. Additionally, the ARRM Government Relations team is busy setting up meetings with key legislators, meeting with the Department of Human Services about various legislative proposals, and working with outside stakeholder groups that haven an interest in our legislation.
Looking ahead, we are excited to take the resources that we are creating and engaging with our members to help us reach out to legislators and set up meetings prior to session beginning on February 11th. It is our goal to be in contact with at least half of the legislature in the next couple months.
What work experience are you most thankful for over the past year?
I'm most thankful for the awesome opportunity to work with our members and the broader Best Life Alliance Coalition in successfully passing the Competitive Workforce Factor. It was great to once again be able to partner with the legislature, the Department of Human Services, and our members in beginning to address wages for Direct Support Professionals and for legislators to make this a priority in 2019.
What dish at your family's Thanksgiving table do you associate with and why?
Cookie Salad with Green Apples. I enjoy multi-tasking and can relate well to this dessert and fruit all rolled into one tasty dish!
Contact Sara: [email protected]
Drew Henry, Director of Strategic Communications
What are some big things you've been working on? What's coming up?
With much of our active 2019 marketing and communications campaign wrapping up, I've been working on 2020 strategy and programs to ensure we're ready to hit the ground running. This includes:
- Preparing for an expanded public education campaign around the value of HCBS and the direct support workforce (get excited and stay tuned!)
- Developing ARRM's editorial schedule and updated communications plan
- Finalizing 2020 sponsorship and partnership packages
Keep your eyes open for upcoming announcements on ARRM's 2020 educational schedule as well as public advocacy efforts.
What work experience are you most thankful for over the past year?
Hands down, traveling the state to meet with members, elected officials and local partners to recognize the best DSPs in the state. ARRM visits more than two dozen members, engaged more than three dozen state and local elected officials, secured nearly a dozen news stories, and handed out more than $1,500 in donated gifts recognizing ARRM Care nominees. Nothing compares to getting out in the field and helping our members recognize those drivers of our services.
What dish at your family's Thanksgiving table do you associate with and why?
I think communications people are the rutabaga of the Thanksgiving dinner table. We take many forms, not everybody likes us, even fewer know exactly what we are/do, but there's something different we bring to the table that completes the meal.
Contact Drew: [email protected]
Ken Bence, Director of Research, Analysis and Policy
What are some big things you've been working on? What's coming up?
The ARRM Industry Survey for 2019 is a big thing. Through a concerted effort to increase response rates over past years, we communicated with members through multiple channels to give them every opportunity to contribute their organization's information to the effort. I am very pleased to see the response rate exceed 50%! I'm excited to uncover insights from the data that we can use to promote our agenda and our sector. At the same time, I am also examining some integrated HCBS and healthcare data from DHS to see whether there is any useful information that we can apply to our work. Also, as organizations prepare for the end of banding and the (expected) approval of the CWF, I am working with some organizations to help them forecast the impact to them. There is still capacity to enter into consulting agreements with a few more, so please call me if you're interested.
And I don't want to forget to mention that I am supporting the important work of the Alternative Payment Model Workgroup as they learn what other states have attempted as far as changing how they pay for home and community-based services. We know DHS is looking at this also, so we want to have good information to contribute to the conversation.
What work experience are you most thankful for over the past year?
My job has allowed me to pull out my inner data geek. I am very thankful for all the knowledge I accumulated over the years to manipulate data and tease out meaningful information as a means to tell a story. This is what we need to support our legislative agenda and other work.
What dish at your family's Thanksgiving table do you associate with and why?
I identify with the dish I grew up calling stuffing, which apparently in Minnesota is called dressing. My mother actually stuffed the turkey with it, and let it cook inside, but I guess that is frowned upon today. Something about bacteria and food poisoning. Whatever. But one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal is to pour turkey gravy over mashed potatoes and stuffing as a great accompaniment to the turkey meat.
Contact Ken: [email protected]
Ashley Wear, Manager of Events and Promotions
What are some big things you've been working on? What's coming up?
Our 2020 calendar is filling up! I've been working with our Education Committee to create and finalize our offerings for next year and to really focus on how we might grow some of our pillar events. This year, we started the ARRM Leadership Institute and have had great participation and feedback and will look to duplicate that next year as well as add an additional offering. Perhaps partner with the Grassroots staff of ARRM for a State Capitol tour and legislative training. We've also moved the date of our Spring Business and Finance Forum to coincide with the Annual Conference in June and hope that will provide additional content following session as well as extend networking and exhibiting opportunities for attendees and supporters. I hope to have the majority of our conference and training schedule published on our website in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
What work experience are you most thankful for over the past year?
All of it? Is that possible? The ARRM office is always busy and bustling with something going on and there's no shortage of opportunities to learn and engage in something new. I think I'm most thankful for the experience with ARRM Cares and celebrating our member sand DSPs. It's so rewarding to travel the state and honor the dedicated workforce and all they do. Of course it's a lot of fun and great to get to know everyone, but it's also very helpful for me to see what everyone's work life is like to help shape our events and educational content. It's invaluable to see and hear directly from future attendees on what's important and relevant to their organizations and positions.
What dish at your family's Thanksgiving table do you associate with and why?
So many funny choices came to mind, but I'll answer more realistically :) I associate with pie! I think I'm the fun part of Thanksgiving and go great with everything. And I'm sweet, obviously.
Contact Ashley: [email protected]
Becky Groen, Senior Bookkeeper
What are some big things you've been working on? What's coming up?
I started with ARRM about 10 weeks ago, and have a few big projects on my plate right now. Through the end of the year I will be working to transition ARRM to new accounting software and will be working to put together a new guide for finance procedures. I am hoping to create an internal system that will be easier to understand and follow for future ARRM employees.
What work experience are you most thankful for over the past year?
Before joining ARRM I worked as a freelance accountant/compliance specialist for political organizations. This year has been a big change for me, as I transition from working in politics to non-profit work. I am very thankful for the opportunity to join ARRM, and am looking forward to taking on more projects here int eh year to come.
What dish at your family's Thanksgiving table do you associate with and why?
This is the kind of question that accountants fear...but I'll say sweet potatoes. They can be salty or sweet, but always a favorite (especially with marshmallows on the top).
Contact Becky: [email protected]